Although conventional commercial WiFi hotspots (such as coffee house WiFi hotspots or the like) are currently available, providing public WiFi access to user devices within WiFi range, the inventors are presently not aware of any available consumer WiFi options that allow a regular cellular service subscriber to provide other users with consumer WiFi sharing via hotspots through the subscriber's user device, much less receive compensation from such other users for use of the shared WiFi, while providing the subscriber with customizable control over WiFi sharing via the subscriber's user device.
Similarly, although conventional residential or business gateways (located at customer premises) are currently available, providing secure private WiFi access or unsecure public WiFi access to user devices within WiFi range, the inventors are presently not aware of any available consumer WiFi options that allow a network service subscriber to provide other users with WiFi sharing through the subscribers residential or business gateways in a controlled and customizable manner via the subscriber's user device, much less receive compensation from such other users for use of the shared WiFi.
Hence, there is a need for more robust and scalable solutions for implementing wireless communications, and, more particularly, to methods, systems, and apparatuses for implementing consumer WiFi sharing.